UPDATE: Hy-Vee Now Plans to Limit Customer Meat Purchases

According to Dakota News Now the popular grocery store chain now says it does plan to limit the amount of meat purchases customers can make due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Tuesday's announcement is a reversal of a statement made by the company earlier this week when they claimed their meat supply was not in jeopardy.

Dakota New Now reports that starting on Wednesday (May 6), Hy-Vee plans to limit its customers to four packages of a combination of fresh beef, ground beef, pork, and chicken.

This recent change in direction is a move by the company to prepare for possible fluctuations in products as a number of meat processing facilities remain temporarily closed due to COVID-19 outbreaks.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Where's the beef? At Hy-Vee, according to the regional grocery store chain.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to incite panic shopping on so many different items that consumers come to rely on each day, like; toilet paper, sanitizing products, various medicines, etc.

Officials at the popular grocery store chain Hy-Vee, say their meat supply is not currently in jeopardy.

With many meat processing plants still currently shut down throughout the country due to the Coronavirus outbreak, fears continue to mount that there will soon be nationwide meat shortages.

Hy-Vee Public Relations Director Christina Gayman told Dakota News Now, as of right now, Hy-Vee has no plans to limit its meat purchases.

According to Gayman, Hy-Vee plans to continue to work closely with industry leaders, so the company is prepared for any possible fluctuations in product.

Dakota News Now is reporting Hy-Vee has no plans at this time to impose limitations on meat purchases after "panic shopping" has led to shortages at some of the other major grocery store retailers nationwide.

Living here in the Midwest, any possible meat shortages in this area will hopefully be alleviated, given that meat-packing plants, like Smithfield, the one here in Sioux Falls, partially reopened on Monday (May 4). Smithfield shut down more than two weeks ago due to a Coronavirus outbreak inside the plant.

The COVID-19 outbreak that swept through the Smithfield plant ended up infecting hundreds of Sioux Falls employees.

Nearly 250 employees reported back to duty on Monday to help staff two Smithfield departments.